Self-storing shaver



Nov. 10,1970 H. J. WALTER ET AL 3,538,604

SELF-STORING SHAVER Filed Nov. 27, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Hf/Vk J. 14444 fie 520:5 J' 525M656 BY SELF- STORING SHAVER 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 2'7, 1968 4 INVENTORS Hf/V/Q) J7 14/417516 2055 JAFA CLQ 44d TORNEY No v. 10, 1970 Filed Nov. 2'7, 1968 H. J. WALTER ET SELF-STORING SHAVER '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Mid W f' RNEY NOV. 10, 1970 1 W L ET AL 3,538,604

SELF-STORING SHAVER l Filed Nov. 27, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet e ATTORNEYf Nov. 10, 1970 I H. J. WALTER ET AL 3,538,604

SELF-STORING SHAVER Filed Nov. 27, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 ATTORNEY) United States Patent 3,538,604 SELF-STORING SHAVER Henry J. Walter, Lancaster, and Bruce J. Spencer, Strasburg, Pa., assignors to Schick Electric Inc., Lancaster,

Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 27, 1968, Ser. No. 779,490 Int. Cl. B26b 19/38 U.S. CI. 30-34 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electric shaver is provided with an integral housing adapted to be shifted between a first position wherein the shaver cutting heads are fully enclosed within the housing for storage purposes; a second position wherein the heads are exposed for use; and a third position wherein the heads are further exposed to facilitate cleaning. The housing telescopically fits over the top of the shaver casing and when shifted relative to the shaver casing is adapted to actuate or de-actuate the shaver motor so that the motor is operative when the housing is in the second position and inoperative when the housing is in either the first or third positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electrically driven shavers utilizing driven cutters are extensively used to cut hair. A common cutter structure consists of one or more substantially rectangular units comprising inner and outer cutters having open ends. In operation the inner cutter is reciprocally driven with respect to the outer cutter along the cutter longitudinal axis and the hair clippings fall into the cutter interior where they are ejected toward the open ends of the cutters by this reciprocal movement. The shavers are often provided with closures referred to as whiskets for the open ends of the cutters which serve to retain and collect the clipped hair within the cutter assembly but which may be opened to facilitate the neat removal of the clippings.

Shavers of this type are usually packaged and designed to be stored within storage cases and are also provided with removable guard members adapted to be placed over the cutters when the shaver is not in use. Such cases and guard members are quite cumbersome and awkward to use in that they often require considerable effort in order to remove and replace the shaver. For this reason and also because the case and guard member are generally not attached to the shaver they are prone to being misplaced, lost or discarded.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an. improved shaving device with an integral housing which serves to enclose and protect the shaver cutting assembly when the shaver is not in use and which is adapted to be readily shifted to a convenient position when the shaver is in use so as not to interfere with the shavers operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objects and advantages are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing a shaving device comprising a casing containing an electrical drive unit and having a cutter head supported at one end thereof with a housing telescopically fitted over the cutter head. The housing is adapted to be longitudinally shifted with respect to the casing between a first storage position wherein the cutter head is completely en closed within the housing and a second shaving position wherein portions of the cutter extend beyond an open end of the housing. Partition members are hingedly mounted to the terminal end of the housing and form a 3,538,604 Patented Nov. 10, 1970 closure for the housing open end when the cutters are enclosed within the housing. The partitions are adapted to be pivoted to a convenient, unobstructive location when the housing is shifted to the second position and the cutter head extends beyond the housing free end. The shaver electrical drive unit is provided with a control switch which includes surfaces adapted to engage cooperating surfaces of the housing so that the drive motor is actuated when the cutter extends beyond the housing in the shaving position and is de-activated when the cutter is enclosed within the housing for storage purposes. The housing is also adapted to be shifted to a third position wherein the cutter head is exposed for cleaning purposes. In this third position the drive motor is off.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective View of an electric shaver provided with a housing in accordance with the present invention and also illustrating a suitable base for the shaver, with the housing shown in the storage position;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the shaver of FIG. 1 in which the housing has been longitudinally shifted to a position wherein the cutter head is exposed and in the shaving position;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the shaver assembled and stored within its base;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational sectional view of the shaver of the present invention shown with its cutting head enclosed within the housing;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 wherein the housing has been shifted so as to expose the cutting head for shaving purposes;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 wherein the housing has been further shifted so as to facilitate the removal of hair clippings from the cutter head;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational sectional view of the shaver of the present invention in the storage position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational sectional view similar to FIG. 7 in which the cutting head is exposed for shaving purposes;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along reference line 99 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the cutting head assembly in which the retaining clips have been removed for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the cutting head of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the cutting head of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an exploded, partially fragmentary view of the cutting depth control mechanism of the shaver of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view taken along reference line 1414 of FIG. 11 wherein the cutting depth control mechanism is set for a deep cut;

FIG. 15 is similar to FIG. 14 except that the cutting depth control mechanism has been shifted to provide for a shallow cut, and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a cutting head end closure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to the various figures wherein similar components are indicated by the same reference numeral and wherein the shaver 10 of the present invention is illustrated as comprising a generally rectangular casing 12 with front and rear panels 14 and 14a and side panels 16 and 16a. A name plate 18 occupies the lower portion of front panel 14 and a charging light 20 and depth control switch 22 are mounted on the name plate along with suitable identifying indicia.

A rectangular housing 24 telescopically fits over the top of casing 12. Housing 24 is generally in the form of a rectangular sleeve formed of substantially straight interconnected front and rear panels 26 and 26a and side panels 28 and 28a. A shaving or cutting head assembly 30, the description and mounting of which will be described forthwith, is mounted to the top of casing 12 and is adapted to protrude through the free top end 32 of housing 24. In this regard, partitions 34 and 36 are hingedly mounted to the housing and extend across open end 32 and form a closure therefor. Partitions 34 and 36 are spring biased so as to normally assume the closed position depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3. However, as seen in FIG. 2, the partitions are adapted to readily swing outwardly when urged apart by the cutting head assembly 30 so as to permit the cutting head assembly to protrude through the open top end 32 of housing 24.

A storage base 38 comprising a hollow, open top ended rectangular structure is also provided. Base 38 includes front and rear walls 40 and 40a and side walls 42 and 42a. As seen in FIG. 3, the shaver 12 is adapted to telescopically fit into the open top end of base 38. In this regard, the outer surface of the base rear wall 40a (not depicted) may be provided with adhesive or other means for conveniently attaching the base to a wall or similar structure.

Shoulders 44 extend across the inner surface of side walls 42 and 42a and serve to support the bottom of the shaver within the base. In this manner, a compartment (not fully shown) is formed in the lower portion of the base when the shaver is stored. This compartment forms a convenient chamber for storing the cord set which may be utilized for purposes of re-charging the nickel-cadmium batteries of the shaver of this preferred embodiment. The base may be provided with a suitable opening for the cord set to pass through so that the batteries may be re-charged while the shaver is stored in its base. It is to be realized that the present invention may also be applied to a shaver utilizing a conventional AC or DC drive motor in place of the battery operated motor of this preferred embodiment. It is also to be noted that the upper portion of base front wall 40 has been removed so that when the shaver 10 is stored within base 38 the shaver name plate 18 is clearly visible.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 and 7 for a general description of the shaver 10 of the present invention. As was previously stated, shaver 10 comprises casing 12 and housing 24. Casing 12 is a generally hollow, rectangular structure having front and rear walls 14 and 14a and side walls 16 and 16a extending between base 46 and top platform 48. A pair of nickel-cadmium cells 50 and a drive motor 52 along with the associated battery recharging and control circuitry 54 is contained within the casing. In addition, an indicating lamp 56 and a recep tacle 58 are provided. Receptacle 58 is adapted to be electrically coupled to a standard AC wall outlet for purposes of re-charging the batteries 50. During the recharging operation, the lamp 56 is adapted to glow. The motor 52 is provided with threaded bushings 60 on its front and rear surfaces and the casing front and rear walls are adapted to be secured to the motor by threadedly engaging bushings 60.

The shaver illustrated further includes a well-known form of cutter assembly utilizing two cutting heads 62 and 64. Each head comprises an outer cutter and an inner cutter the latter being adapted to be reciprocated by the actuating levers 66 and 68 which are pivotally mounted to motor 52 and adapted to be vibrated thereby in a well known fashion. A spacing bar 70 separates cutting heads 62 and '64 and serves to control the depth of the cut of the shaver in a manner to be described forthwith. The cutting head assembly 30 is seated on top platform 48 of the casing and secured thereto by suitable means such as clips 72. A cushion, in the form of sponge rubber pad 74 and a slideable bar 76 are interposed between the cutting head case and the top platform 48. The function of the slideable bar 76 will be discussed forthwith in conjunction with the shaving depth control bar 70.

A three position switch 78 is vertically mounted on the inner surface of the casing side wall 16. The switch is designed so that when control lever 80 is in an intermediate position, the motor is on but when lever 80 is in an up or down position, the motor is off. Slot 84 is provided in casing wall 16 and control lever 80 extends through slot 84 beyond the outer surface of side wall 16.

The shaver housing 24 as previously stated comprises a generally rectangular shell which, like casing 12 and base 38 may be formed of plastic or a suitable metal. Housing 24 comprises front and rear walls 26 and 26a and side walls 28 and 28a designed to closely fit about casing 12.

The top and bottom ends of housing 24 are open. However, two elongated cover partitions 34 and 36 are hingedly secured to the top of the housing side walls 28 and 28a adjacent their lines of intersection with the front and rear wall panels 26 and 26a. The partitions 34 and 36 are free to rotate about hinge members 82 and 84. However, biasing springs 86 and 88 engage the housing front and rear walls and also partitions 34 and 36, respectively, and serve to maintain the cover partitions 34 and 36 in a normally closed position.

A longitudinal channel 90 extends partially into the interior surface of housing side Wall panel 28 and the portions of control lever 80 that extend beyond the casing side wall 16 are adapted to ride in this channel. The terminal portions of channel 90 are defined by shoulders 92 and 94, the former being located below the latter. To enable the assembly of the shaver, shoulder 92 forms the upper edge of removable panel 96 which is adapted to be positioned on side wall 28 after housing 24 has been positioned over casing 12. Shoulders 92 and 94 are spaced apart a distance governed by the movement of control lever 80 of switch 78 so that as the housing is shifted upwardly or downwardly relative to casing 12, shoulder 92 or shoulder 94 will engage lever 80' and shift switch 78 to the next position in a manner to be described forthwith.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 wherein it may be noted that protrusions 98 and 98a are provided on the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 26 and 26a of housing 24 and it also may be noted that a plurality of vertically spaced apart indentations 100, 102 and 104 and 100a, 102a and 104a are provided on the outer surface of the casing front and rear walls 14 and 14a. Protrusions 98' and 98a and any matched pair of indentations cooperate in forming a detent adapted to lock the housing to the casing in any one of the three positions available. That is, the protrusions 98 and 980 may respectively engage indentations 100 and 100a, 102 and 102a, or 104 and 104a. In this regard it is to be noted that the housing 24 is slightly larger than the casing so as to permit the housing to slide over the casing with the protrusions slightly contacting the casing indentations. However, since the housing is formed of a plastic material it is sufficiently flexible so that in normal use when the shaver is hand held, the finger tip pressure exerted by the user will cause the housing to be deformed inwardly and thereby increase the locking action of the detent formed by the protrusions and a particular set of indentations.

As was previously mentioned, the cutting head assembly 30 contemplated for use with the shaver of the present invention is of the open ended type. In operation the inner cutter is reciprocally driven in the direction of its longitudinal axis and the hair clippings removed by the cutters are ejected toward the open ends of the cutters. The shaver is provided with closures 106 and 106a aflixed to the casing 12 at the open ends of the cutting head assembly and serve to contain the hair clippings. Accordingly, closures 106 and 106a each comprise a substantially fiat member adapted to be pivotally mounted to the casing at points corresponding to the ends of cutting assembly 30. Reference is briefly made to FIG. 16 wherein a detail of closure 106 is depicted. The construction of closure 106a is identical. Thus, closure 106 includes substantially flat portion 108 from which protrusion 110 extends downwardly and protrusion 112 extends outwardly. Hinge members 114 and 116 also extend from fiat member 108. Closures 106 and 106a are mounted to suitable portions of the casing front and rear walls 14 and 14a and are free to pivot about their respective mountings. Biasing springs 118 and 118a are coupled to the casing and engage the respective downwardly depending portions 110 and 110a of closures 106 and 106a and serve to maintain the closures in the normally closed position depicted in FIG. 4. In this regard, each biasing spring cooperates with the casing and downwardly depending members in defining a toggle joint.

Longitudinal channels 119 and 119a are provided on the inner surfaces of the housing side panels 28 and 28a. Channel 119 is offset somewhat from channel 90. The terminal points of channels 119 and 119a are defined by shoulders 120 and 122 and 120a and 122a respectively. Shoulder 120 is aligned with shoulder 94 although as previously suggested it is offset somewhat from it. Shoulders 122 and 122a comprise the inwardly turned top portions of side walls 28 and 28a of the housing.

In operation the outwardly extending portions 112 and 112a of closures 106 and 106a ride in channels 119 and 119a respectively while the portion of lever 80 that extends beyond the casing sidewall rides in channel 90. Assuming that the shaver is initially in the first off or storage position depicted in FIG. 4, as the housing is shifted downwardly relative to the casing to the position depicted in FIG. the cutting head will extend through the housing top end and shoulder 94 will engage lever 80 and shift switch 78 to an on position. The shaver is thus in an operating condition. From the on position of FIG. 5 the shaver may be returned to the off position of FIG. 4 by shifting the housing upwardly relative to the casing. In this case, shoulder 92 will engage lever 80 and return it to the upper off position depicted in FIG. 4. As the cutting head is retracted into the housing interior, biasing springs 86 and 88 will urge partitions 34 and 36 to resume their closed position.

On the other hand, if at the completion of shaving the user of the shaver wishes to clean out the removed hair clippings from the shaver interior he will shift the housing downwardly from the on position of FIG. 5 to the clean position of FIG. 6. In so doing the lever 80 will be shifted further downwardly by shoulder 94 to a second off position. The cutting head will be further extended from the housing interior and during the course of extending the cutter head, shoulders 122 and 122a will trip the toggle joint formed of closures 106 and 106a and springs 118 and 118a respectively so that access may be had to the cutter open ends. In this regard shoulders 122 and 122a will engage the outwardly extending portions 112 and 112a of closures 106 and 106a and rotate them about pivotal points 116 and 116a until the dead center points are passed at which time spring members 118 and 118a will cooperate in causing the closures to shift to the open position depicted in FIG. 6. When the shaver is cleaned, the housing may be returned to the on or storage positions by shifting the housing one or two positions upwardly relative to the casing. In so doing the sides 123 and 123a of shoulders 122 and 122a will urge closures 106 and 106a inwardly, causing the closures to rotate about their pivotal connections until their dead center points are passed at which time spring members 118 and 118a will force the closures to snap shut. Simultaneously the lever 80 will be shifted upwardly first to the on position and then to the first off position. At the same time the cutting head will retract into the housing.

As was previously mentioned, the shaver of the present invention is provided with a cutting assembly 30 adapted to be adjusted so as to enable variations in the depth of the cut available. In this regard, assembly 30 includes cutting heads 62 and 64 extending upwardly from base 124 and separated by spacer bar 70. The cutting heads are adapted to be removably mounted to base 124 which in turn is designed to be removably mounted to the top platform 48 of the shaver casing 12. Base 124 is provided with suitable openings 126 and 128 through which the actuating levers 66 and 68 of the drive unit may extend to engage and drive the inner cutting blades of each cutting head. As seen in FIG. 7, spacing bar 70 comprises the upper portion of an elongated member having a T-shaped cross sectional configuration. Member 125 is interposed between guides and 132 which extend upwardly from the longitudinal ends of base 124. The upper edges of guides 130 and 132 are substantially in line with the cutting faces of cutting heads 62 and 64 and define the upper limit to which the housing bar 70 may be shifted. The lower portion of member 125 terminates in two horizontally spaced generally triangular shaped portions 134 and 136 which are designed to extend below base 124 through slot 138 in the base. A biasing spring 140 serves to urge portions 134 and 136 downwardly toward slot 138. The upwardly extending tapered sides 142 and 144 of portions of 134 and 136 respectively define camming surfaces which are designed to engage complementary portions of slide bar 76 of the assembled shaver.

Slide bar 76 (depicted in detail in FIG. 13) includes tapering portions 146 and 148 which are designed to cooperate with camming surfaces 142 and 144 in raising and lowering spacing bar 70 as sliding bar 76 is horizontally shifted. In this regard, sliding bar 76 is adapted to be positioned between the top platform 48 and cutting head assembly 30 on the assembled shaver. The sliding bar 76 includes suitable cut out portions 150 and 152 through which the depending portions 134 and 136 of member 125 extend toward the shaver casing. Camming surfaces 146 and 148 of bar 76 define the ends of slots 150 and 152 respectively and are designed to engage the sides 142 and 144 of depending portions 134 and 136. Thus, as sliding bar 76 is shifted back and forth horizontally along platform 48, member 125 will be raised and lowered by virtue of camming surfaces 134 and 136 riding up and down surfaces 142 and 144 of slide bar 76.

In FIG. 14, the cooperating sets of camming surfaces are shown making minimum contact so that the maximum spacing is maintained between the top 154 of the cutting heads and the spacing bar 70. In FIG. 15, the sliding bar 76 has been shifted to the left (as indicated by the arrow) so that the sets of camming surfaces make maximum contact and the spacing bar 70 is raised to its upper most position. With the spacing bar in the position depicted in FIG. 14, the maximum amount of skin may enter into the area between adjacent cutters and hence the shaver will give its closest shave. With the cutter in the position depicted in FIG. 15, the minimum amount of skin may enter into the area between adjacent cutters and hence the shaver will give its lightest shave.

To effect the shifting of sliding bar 76, bar 76 is provided with outwardly extending arm portion 154. The free end 156 of arm 154 is designed to engage one end 158 of rod 160. Rod 160 in turn is pivotally mounted by rivet 162 to the internal surface of front panel 14 of casing 12. The opposite end 164 of rod 160 is coupled to portions of the depth control switch 22 which is slidably mounted to the front of front panel 14. As switch 22 is shifted horizontally along front panel 14, rod 160 will cause an oppositely directed horizontal shifting of slide bar 76, resulting in the raising and lowering of spacing bar 70. Thus, variations in the depth of cut available with the shaver of the present invention may be elfected by making adjustments on the front of the shaver.

In order to maintain the spacing bar in any desired predetermined position, the rear surface 164 of switch 22 is provided with ratchet means 166 adapted to engage complementary surfaces 168 on the rear of the shaver front panel 14. The ratchet will hold the switch 22 in any desired position. However, the ratchet may be overridden and the position varied by the exercise of finger tip pressure on the switch 22.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that while a particular form of our invention has been illustrated and described, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. Accordingly we do not intend that the invention be limited except as by the oppended claims.

Having described the invention, we claim:

1. An electric shaver comprising:

a casing;

an electrical drive unit mounted to said casing;

electrical circuit means associated with said drive unit;

a cutter head assembly supported upon said casing and extending beyond one end thereof, said cutter head assembly being in operative contact with said electrical drive unit;

switch means having an on position and an off position and forming a part of said electrical circuit means; an open top and bottom ended housing telescopically fitted over said casing and adapted to be longitudinally shifted with respect to said casing between a first position wherein said cutter head assembly is completely enclosed within said housing and a second position wherein portions of said cutter head assembly extend beyond the top of said housing;

partition means hingedly coupled to said housing and adapted to form a closure for said housing top end when said housing is in said first position; and

switch engaging means coupled to said housing and adapted to shift said switch means to said on position when said housing is in said second position and to shift said switch means to said Off position when said housing is in said first position.

2. The shaver in accordance with claim 1 further comprising means for indexing said housing and for retaining said housing in a predetermined position relative to said casing.

3. The shaver as set forth in claim 2 wherein said housing and said casing include portions thereon adapted to cooperate in forming a detent, said detent being adapted to retain said housing in a predetermined position relative to said casing.

4. The shaver set forth in claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a hollow flexible shell, the internal cross sectional dimension of said shell is slightly greater than the external cross sectional dimension of said casing, and said detent comprises at least one indentation on one of said housing and casing portions and one protrusion on the other of said portions.

5. The shaver as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cutter head assembly includes two elongated spaced apart cutters removably mounted to a base member, and each of said cutters has cutting surfaces substantially parallel to said base and substantially normal to said base, and said shaver further comprises a spacer bar shiftably mounted to said base and interposed and extending between said cutters, wherein said spacer bar is adapted to be shifted toward and away from said base transverse to the longitudinal axis of said cutter head assembly whereby to vary the exposed cutting surfaces of said cutters normal to said base.

6. The shaver as set forth in claim 5 wherein said casing-includes a front panel and means mounted to said front panel adapted to control the position of said spacer bar relative to said base, said control means including means for temporarily locking said spacing bar in a predetermined position relative to said base.

7. The shaver as set forth in claim 6 further comprising a horizontally shiftable member interposed between said casing one end and said cutter assembly, said spacer bar includes camming surfaces extending below said cutter assembly base and adapted to engage said shiftable member, and camming surfaces on said shiftable member adapted to engage said spacer bar camming surfaces whereby the horizontal shifting of said shiftable member is translated into a vertical shifting of said spacer bar by said interengaged camming surfaces.

8. The shaver as set forth in claim 7 further comprising an elongated rod pivotally mounted to said casing front panel and coupling said shiftable member to said control means, means on said shiftable member for engaging one end of said elongated rod, and means coupling said control means to the other end of said rod whereby a horizontal displacement of said control means is transferred through said elongated member to said shiftable member.

9. The shaver as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cutting head assembly includes at least one open ended cutter and said shaver further comprises cutter end closure means pivotally mounted to said casing and adapted to be shifted between a first closure position wherein said closure means seal said cutter open ends and a second closure position wherein said closure means permit access to the interior of said cutter through said cutter open ends.

10. The shaver as set forth in claim 9 wherein said housing is further adapted to be shifted to a third position wherein said cutter head assembly extends beyond said housing top end and said cutter end closure means are adapted to be shifted to said closure first position when said housing is shifted to said housing first and second positions and said closure is adapted to be shifted to said closure second position when said housing is shifted to said housing third position.

11. The shaver as set forth in claim 10 further comprising a spring member coupled to said closure and said casing, said spring member forming a toggle joint with said closure, first and second positions of said toggle joint coinciding with said closure first and second positions, portions of said closure forming a pivotal connection between said closure and said casing and outwardly extending portion of said closure adapted to engage portions of said housing, wherein said toggle joint is shifted between said toggle first and second positions when said housing portions engage said outwardly extending closure portions and rotates said closure about said pivotal connection beyond the dead center point of said toggle joint.

12. The shaver as set forth in claim 10 wherein said switch means comprises a three position switch having a single on position interposed between two off positions and said housing is adapted to shift said switch means to a first off position and said closure to a closure first position when said housing is in said housing first position; said housing is adapted to shift said switch means to an on position and said closure to said closure first position when said housing is shifted to said housing second position; and, said housing is adapted to shift said switch to said second off position and said closure to said closure second position when said housing is shifted to said housing third position.

13. The shaver as set forth in claim 10- wherein said cutter head assembly includes two elongated spaced apart cutters removably mounted to a base member, and each of said cutters has cutting surfaces substantially parallel to said base and substantially normal to said base, and said shaver further comprises a spacer bar shiftably mounted to said base and interposed and extending between said cutters, wherein said spacer bar is adapted to be shifted toward and away from said base transverse to the longitudinal axis of said cutter head assembly whereby to vary the exposed cutting surfaces of said cutters normal to said base.

14. The shaver as set forth in claim 13 wherein said casing includes a front panel and means mounted to said front panel adapted to control the position of said spacer bar relative to said base, said control means including means for temporarily locking said spacing bar in a predetermined position relative to said base.

15. The shaver as set forth in claim 14 further comprising a horizontally shiftable member interposed between said casing one end and said cutter assembly, said spacer bar includes camming surfaces extending below said cutter assembly base and adapted to engage said shiftable member, and camming surfaces on said shift- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,811,774 11/1957 Otto 30-34 X 3,166,842 1/1965 Christensen 3043.1

10 ANDREW R. JUI-IASZ, Primary Examiner G. F. GRAFEL, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

able member adapted to engage said spacer bar ca-mming 15 310-47 

